The present invention relates generally to methods, systems and apparatus for interacting with computers. More particularly, the invention relates to such interaction using an interactive business card.
Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention simultaneously with the present application:
Ser. Nos. 09/669,599, 09/663,701, 09/663,640
The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on Jun. 30, 2000:
The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.
Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on May 23, 2000:
The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.
The netpage system is intended to provide a paper-based user interface to published information and interactive services.
On occasion, users will want to provide information about themselves to others. A generally accepted approach to providing information to others, particularly in business, is by way of a business card. It is considered particularly useful if the business card includes the electronic mail address of the user.
Business cards are usually relatively small for convenient handling. However, their size is generally restrictive with respect to providing information about the owner of the business card to others.
The present invention provides a method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of the identity of the business card and of at least one reference point of the business card, the method including the steps of
receiving, in the computer system, indicating data from a sensing device regarding the identity of the business card and a position of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data;
identifying, in the computer system and from the indicating data, a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user; and
recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.
The request to record the second user""s electronic mail address may be associated with at least one zone of the business card and the method may include identifying, in the computer system and from the zone relative to which the sensing device is located, the request to record the electronic mail address of the second user.
The abovementioned method may also include the steps of
receiving, in the computer system, data regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device sensing its movement relative to the business card using at least some of the coded data; and
identifying, in the computer system and from said movement being at least partially within said at least one zone, the request to record the electronic mail address of the second user.
The present invention also provides a method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the method including the steps of
receiving, in the computer system, data from a sensing device operated by the first user regarding the request and regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when moved relative to the business card, sensing the data regarding the request and generating the data regarding its own movement relative to the business card using at least some of the coded data;
interpreting, in the computer system, said movement of the sensing device as designating the request; and
recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.
The preset invention further provides a method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the method including the steps of
receiving, in the computer system, from a sensing device operated by the first user, indicating data regarding the request, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data;
interpreting, in the computer system, the indicating data as designating the request; and
recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.
The present invention further provides a method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the method including the steps of
receiving, in a computer system, data from a sensing device regarding an identity of the first user and regarding the request, the sensing device containing data regarding the identity of the first user and sensing the data regarding the request using at least some of the coded data;
interpreting, in the computer system from the data regarding the identity of the first user and the data regarding the request, the request to record the electronic mail address of the second user; and
recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.
The method may include receiving, in the computer system, data from the sensing device regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device generating data regarding its own movement relative to the business card.
In a preferred embodiment, the abovementioned methods include printing the business card on demand. This may include printing the business card on a surface of a surface-defining means and, at the same time that the business card is printed, printing coded data on the surface. Preferably, the coded data is substantially invisible to the unaided human eye.
Additionally, the abovementioned methods may include retaining a retrievable record of each business card generated, the business card being retrievable using its identity as contained in its coded data.
The sensing device may contain an identification means which imparts a unique identity to the sensing device and identifies it as belonging to a particular user and in which the method includes monitoring, in the computer system, said identity.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a system for enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of the identity of the business card and of at least one reference point of the business card, the system including
a computer system for receiving indicating data from a sensing device for identifying a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the indicating data being indicative of the identity of the business card and a position of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data, the computer system being configured to record the electronic mail address of the second user at a location accessible to the first user.
Preferably, the request to record the electronic mail address of the second user is associated with at least one zone of the business card.
The sensing device of the system may sense its movement relative to the business card using at least some of the coded data.
The present invention also provides a system for enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the system including
a computer system for receiving data from a sensing device operated by the first user, the data from the sensing device regarding the request and regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when moved relative to the business card, generating the data regarding its own movement relative to the business card, the sensing device also sensing the data regarding the request using at least some of the coded data, the computer system being configured to interpret said movement as designating the request, and being configured to record the electronic mail address of the second user at a location accessible to the first user.
The present invention further provides a system for enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the system including
a computer system for receiving indicating data from a sensing device operated by the first user, the indicating data regarding the request, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data, the computer system being configured to interpret the indicating data as designating the request, and being configured to record the electronic mail address of the second user at a location accessible to the first user.
The present invention yet further provides a system for enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the system including
a computer system for receiving data from a sensing device regarding an identity of the first user and regarding the request, the sensing device containing the data regarding the identity of the first user and sensing the data regarding the request using at least some of the coded data, the computer system being configured to record the electronic mail address of the second user at a location accessible to the first user.
The sensing device may sense its movement relative to the business card.
The sensing device of the abovementioned systems may include a marking nib. Additionally, the sensing device may contain an identification means which imparts a unique identity to the sensing device and identifies it as being associated with a particular user.
In a preferred embodiment, the abovementioned systems include a business card printed on a surface of a surface-defining means and a printer for printing the business card on demand. In this respect, the printer may print the coded data at the same time as printing the business card on the surface. Preferably, the coded data is substantially invisible to the unaided human eye.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a system and a method which utilizes one or more business cards capable of interacting with a computer system. Whilst the novel method and system of the present invention may be used in conjunction with a single computer system, in a particularly preferred form it is designed to operate over a computer network, such as the Internet.
Physically, the business card is disposed on a surface medium which may be of any suitable structure. However, in a preferred embodiment, the business card is disposed on sheet material such as paper or the like which has the coded data printed on it and which allows interaction with the computer system. The coded data is detectable preferably, but not exclusively, outside the visible spectrum, thereby enabling it to be machine-readable but substantially invisible to the human eye. The business card may also include visible material which provides information to a user, such as the application or purpose of the business card, and which visible information may be registered or correlate in position with the relevant hidden coded data.
The system also includes a sensing device to convey data from the business card to the computer system, and in some instances, to contribute additional data. Again, the sensing device may take a variety of forms but is preferably compact and easily portable. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the sensing device is configured as a pen which is designed to be able to physically mark the interactive business card as well as to selectively enable the coded data from the business card to be read and transmitted to the computer system. The coded data then provides control information, configured such that designation thereof by a user causes instructions to be applied to the software running on the computer system or network.
The nature of the interaction between the business card and the sensing device and the data that each contributes to the computer system may vary. In one arrangement, the coded data on the business card is indicative of the identity of the business card and of at least one reference point on that business card. In another embodiment, the interactive business card includes coded data which is indicative of a parameter of the business card, whereas the sensing device is operative to provide data regarding its own movement relative to that business card to the computer system together with coded data from the business card.